Admission Requirements sampling at Talladega NF
A B.A./B.S. in geography or a related discipline is normally required for admission. Students should formally apply to the program only after approval from their potential advisor. After receiving consent from a faculty member, applicants must submit official transcripts, official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose that clearly illustrates the student's academic and career goals. Admission requires a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in previous coursework and a minimum combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. Conditional admission may be considered if a student satisfies one of the two scoring criteria and has notable experience or outstanding recommendations. Applications should be received by 15 February. Although later submissions may be considered for admission, applications not completed by the deadline will not be considered for assistantships.
Degree Requirements
The M.S. in Geography requires a total of 30 credit hours including 6 hours of program requirements and 6 hours of thesis research. All students enrolled in the M.S. program are required to take GY523 (Quantitative Methods) and GY500 (Research Traditions and Methods in Geography). These courses should be taken in a sequence during the first year in the program. A minimum of 12 credit hours must be taken from courses in one of the three concentration areas outlined below. The remaining 6 credit hours may consist of courses from the other two concentration areas and/or be selected from related courses offered in other departments with advisor approval. Each student should work closely with their thesis advisor to create a curriculum of study tailored to their academic and career goals.
A non-thesis track is available, but only with advisor support and should not be pursued under most circumstances. The overwhelming majority of all M.S. students in the program complete a thesis.
Areas of Concentration (for a list of faculty by research area see Research)
Earth System Science: This area of concentration includes courses in geomorphology, watershed dynamics, biogeography, vegetation analysis, and climatology.
Urban, Regional, and Environmental Planning: This area of concentration addresses the need for training in urban; regional and environmental analysis, and planning; location theory; and environmental impact assessment.
Geographical Information Science: This area of concentration includes spatial modeling, remote sensing, Geographic Information Science (GIS), and computer cartography. The department's GIS/Remote Sensing Lab includes state-of-the-art facilities. The Cartographic Research Lab and University Map Library are housed in the department and are directed by full-time professional staff.
Please see the appropriate Graduate Catalog for additional information.
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